


A Halloween Horror Story

by IzzyWritesStuff



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-25 17:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12536732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IzzyWritesStuff/pseuds/IzzyWritesStuff
Summary: "Never accept candy from strangers." Is the first thing you teach your children. Steve must have missed the memo.





	1. No Candy from Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Do I have another story that's not finished? Yes, I do. Unfortuantely, I have hit a major writers-block and I'm just unable to come up with anything good. But I will finish Couvade Syndrome. I just need some time to figure things out. Meanwhile, I am here to give you a short Halloween themed story. This is slightly different from what I usually write... But I hope you enjoy! (This story is not beta'd) -- Mpreg is NOT natural thing in this story.

Steve is rubbing at tired eyes with his index finger and thumb, as he slides out of his Silverado, which he parked in front of Danny’s modern one-story home. Slamming the driver’s door close behind his back, he blindly locks the vehicle and trudges up to the front door of his boyfriend’s house. It’s way past ten o’clock at night already, and Steve can’t wait to fall into bed after the never-ending debriefing he’s had with the Governor and chief of police after their last case. So, what should have been a brief 45-minute catching up had ended up being an almost four-hour long meeting. To say Steve is exhausted is an understatement. He’s looking forward to a quiet and relaxing weekend with his boyfriend.

Steve lets himself into his partner’s house without bothering to knock – Because they’re way past that stage already. “Hey,” he says when he sees the back of a blond head of hair in front of the TV. From the way his boyfriend is sprawled comfortably on the couch, it appears like he hasn’t moved in hours.

At the sound of his voice, Danny startles and turns his head. “Oh, hey,” he replies, as he pushes himself into a position that looks a bit more like actual sitting. “Haven’t heard you come in,” he adds with a sheepish smile, and runs a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. He’s already wearing the grey shirt he usually sleeps in, and a pair of loose-fitting boxers. His feet are bare.

Smirking, Steve tosses his car keys onto the sideboard behind the sofa. By now, he has noticed what his boyfriend is so engrossed in. While most people can’t even watch a movie a second time, Danny is one of the very few individuals that can watch certain movies over and over again. It’s one of the things that drive Steve absolutely _nuts_ when they have a cozy movie night. “How many times have you seen this by now?” Steve sighs as he flops down next to his boyfriend with a weary exhale. “I could understand if this were some classic masterpiece, but this is just…” He waves a lazy hand at the TV, which just happens to display the infamous birthing scene. “…disgusting and weird.”

Danny huffs. “Enemy Mine _is_ a classic masterpiece,” Danny claims, as he stabs the pause button on the remote with more force than necessary. “Besides, it’s Halloween in a couple of days, and therefore I’m not going to allow you to turn this off. Not this time!”

Steve laughs tiredly. Even if Halloween weren’t around the corner, he would probably lack the energy to fight Danny for the remote control tonight. In fact, Peppa Pig with her annoyingly squeaky voice could be on now and he wouldn’t mind, because his eyes are already closing on their own accord. Steve’s dozing before he’s even aware of what’s happening.

A sharp elbow to his right side has Steve snap his eyes back open. Rolling his head on the headrest of the couch, he tiredly glowers at Danny. “What?” He mutters, eyelids heavy with desperately needed sleep.

“If looks could kill…” Danny chuckles under his breath and grins amusedly. Steve just huffs out a breath – Too worn-out to respond with actual words.

Danny pokes him again, and Steve realizes that he’s drifted off again. “C’mon, babe. Don’t fall asleep on the couch. I don’t want to hear you complain about a crick in your neck tomorrow morning.” Grumbling, Steve allows his boyfriend to pull him off the couch and into a standing position. He winces when his left knee and back twinge unpleasantly. This is one of the moments in which he feels every single one of his 41 years in all its glory. “Let’s go,” Danny says and steers Steve down the hallway that leads to the bedroom.

Despite the exhaustion, Steve feels something warm blossoming low in his belly when Danny’s hand wanders under the hem of his shirt and trails up his bare back. “Danny…” He says, and even to his own ears it almost sounds like a whine.

Danny chuckles. “What? I’m just helping you undress…”

Goosebumps break out all over Steve’s body when his boyfriend’s hand glides around his side and down his abs to open the buckle of his belt. He bites his tongue to keep in the moan that threatens to escape. Danny breathes out a chuckle, and the puff of air tickles the back of Steve’s neck. At this point, most of his fatigue has given way to the desire to have his partner even closer.

In a move Danny probably doesn’t expect, Steve spins around and captures his boyfriend’s wandering hand with one of his own. With the other arm, he pulls Danny closer until their bodies are pressed against each other. He smirks down into the bright blue eyes he loves so much. “What are your intentions here, Detective?” He murmurs.

Danny grins. “I think you know exactly what my intentions are,” Danny replies, voice low and aroused.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Steve smirks, before he leans down and presses a passionate kiss to Danny’s lips, which taste of beer and leftover lasagna. By now, the last remaining trace of sleepiness has dissolved.

 

 

It feels like Steve has only just closed his eyes when the blaring of his phone pulls him out of his peaceful slumber. Groaning, he rolls over and tries to locate the ringing cell. To his annoyance, he can’t find it on the night table where he usually puts it. It takes him a few sluggish seconds to realize that the ringing sounds muffled, and that the phone is still in the pocket of his pants. His pants, which were hastily taken off a few hours earlier and are still lying somewhere on the floor of Danny’s bedroom. With an annoyed huff, Steve sits up and stumbles over to where he thinks he’s seen the piece of clothing last.

Despite the darkness, he manages to pull out his phone. Squinting at the bright screen, he sees that HPD is calling him. He clears his throat before taking the call with a curt, “McGarrett.”

_“Steve, it’s Duke. Sorry to call you this late, but we have a body.”_

Steve is wide-awake in an instant. He crosses the room with two large strides to where Danny is still sleeping soundly. “Where?” He asks, while shaking his partner awake.

 _“Parking lot of Kamiloiki Community Park,”_ Duke explains.

“We’ll be right there,” Steve replies before he ends the call and tosses the phone onto the mattress. He shakes Danny again, with a bit more vigor than before. “Danny, hey, wake up. We got a case.”

The last word seems to penetrate Danny’s heavy sleep and he opens his eyes. “What? Where?”

“Eastside. Come on, we gotta get dressed,” he says, aware that they are both naked.

 

 

Forty minutes later, Steve and Danny pull up to the crime scene in the Camaro. Red and blue lights are flashing in the darkness and Steve can see Lou’s car next to an HPD cruiser. After checking that his gun and badge are attached to his hip, Steve opens the driver’s door and climbs out of the car. Danny mirrors him.

Looking around, Steve tries to spot a familiar face. When he sees Grover talking to another officer, he makes a beeline for his colleague. “Lou, what have we got?”

The tall Chicago native turns with a sad expression on his face. It’s obvious to Steve that whatever has happened is affecting his friend deeply on some level. “A homeless man found the dead body of a young girl in a dumpster behind a barbershop. She can’t be more than nineteen.”

Steve feels Danny stiffen next to him. Every case that involves kids or teenagers is especially hard for the members of Five-0 who are parents. Steve tries to block out the image of Grace and Samantha, and forces himself to focus on the case. “Do we know the COD?” He asks, as he glances past Lou to where he sees Noelani bent over what has to be the body of the girl.

Lou swallows. “She was stabbed. About 15 to 20 times at least. Time of death is between ten and eleven PM last night,” he explains, and the underlying tone of anger is hard to miss. “There’s blood all over the asphalt in front of the dumpster she was found in. There’s not doubt that this was the crime scene.”

Steve nods, gears already turning in his head. Slowly turning in a circle, he looks around for anything that looks suspicious or might give them a clue about what has happened. The four-story apartment building just across the street catches his eye. “Alright,” he begins, gaze locked on the building. “Have Tani go over the video footage of all the cameras in the area. Traffic cams, private security systems and ATMs. Meanwhile, you try to identify our victim. Danny and I will grab some officers and split up. We’ll ask around if someone has seen or heard anything.” He nods toward the apartment building. “The people living there have a direct view onto the park and the dumpster. Someone might have seen something.” Steve ignores the fact that it’s only a few minutes past five in the morning. The sooner they know something about the killer, the better.

 

 

Two hours and over twenty tenants later, they are no further in finding out what happened to the young woman who was so brutally murdered. Running a hand down his face, Steve walks to apartment 5C and knocks.

The door of the apartment opens two inches and half of a wrinkled face appears. The rattling of the chain lock indicates that the woman is suspicious of the early disturbance. “Who’s there?”

Steve clears his throat. “My name is Commander Steve McGarrett, ma’am. I’m here to ask you some questions,” Steve says and unclips his badge from his belt. He can tell that the elderly women is wary of him, so he holds his badge up for her to see.

“I see,” the woman says, before closing the door. The chain rattles again, before the door is opened once more. This time, it swings open all the way, revealing a tiny woman with white hair and a pink flower bathrobe. “Please, come in.”

With a kind smile, Steve steps into the apartment. Curiously, he looks around and takes in his surroundings. He feels like he’s stepped into a time machine that’s transported him back to his grandmother’s living room. The furniture is obviously older than he is and the green carpets are outworn. The TV seems to be from the early 80’s and the landline is an old-fashioned rotary phone.

“I apologize for bothering you this early on a Saturday, ma’am, but we have found the body of a young woman across the street and I was wondering if you might have seen or heard anything unusual last night?”

The woman is visibly shaken by Steve’s words and he curses himself for not easing her into the topic a bit more smoothly and slowly. But it’s been a long night already, and after having talked to eight different people, his patience is starting to run a bit thin.

Steve takes a step closer to her and nods toward the light brown couch with the knitted orange blanket over its back. “Why don’t we take a seat?” The woman takes a shaky breath and nods. Gently taking her arm, Steve leads her over to the couch and helps her sit down. He takes a seat across her in an old armchair.

“This is quiet a shock,” she murmurs, skinny hands fumbling with the edge of her bathrobe. “Do you know who did this horrible thing?”

Steve shakes his head. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any leads at this point. That’s why we are hoping someone in this building has witnessed anything unusual?”

The woman shakes her head. “I... I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help you. I went to sleep early yesterday and woke up when you knocked. I haven’t seen or heard anything. But maybe the handsome man down the hallway can help you? He’s always up late.”

Steve nods, although he knows the man she’s talking about won’t be of any help. He’s already been by his apartment, and the guy showed him a ticket that places him at a concert at the time of the murder. With a sigh, Steve moves to get up again. The woman’s skinny hand on his arm stops him. “Excuse me. But would you mind getting me a glass of water from the kitchen? I’m feeling a bit shaky,” she admits with a trembling smile. “It’s not every day that the police shows up on your doorstep, asking about a murder.”

Steve pats her hand. He might be in a hurry, but he can’t just leave the shaken up woman by herself. “Of course,” he says and gets up.

The kitchen doesn’t look much different from the rest of the apartment. After opening a few cupboards, he finds the drinking glasses and fills one with water. When he returns to the living room, the woman is holding a large bowl of what seems to be candy in her hands. She sets the bowl down in her lap and accepts the water with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

After taking a sip, she puts the glass down on the couch table. She picks up the bowl in her lap again and holds it out for Steve. “Please, help yourself. I made them myself for the kids on Halloween. It’s my aunt’s special recipe.”

Steve’s neither hungry nor in the mood for sweets, but he doesn’t want to be impolite. Accepting the offered bonbon, he pops it in his mouth. As soon as he bites on it, a bitter taste fills his mouth and he has to stop himself from spitting it out again. A gooey substance floods his mouth, almost making him gag. Despite the terrible taste, he forces himself to swallow, because the woman looks incredible proud of herself and he doesn’t want to make her feel bad. “Thank you,” he chokes out and tries to give her a genuine smile. He hopes it actually looks like a smile and less like a grimace. “I need to get going now,” he announces and quickly gets to his feet, before she can offer him a second piece. He reaches into his pocket and hands her one of his business cards. “Please, if you remember anything, call me.”

“I will,” she promises. “Have a good day, and I hope you find the murdered soon.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he replies before hastily exiting the apartment. The first thing he needs to do is find a bottle of water so he can get rid of the foul taste in his mouth.

 

 

Even after questioning every single person in the apartment building, Five-0 still doesn’t have any solid leads. Tani is still going through the video footage of the nearby cameras, but so far nothing useful has been discovered. The only one who has made any progress is Grover. Not only did he find out the name and current address of the victim, he also discovered that April Zhang broke up with her boyfriend two weeks ago. Unfortunately, said boyfriend is currently vacationing in Miami. At least, that’s what his Facebook profile states.

“Alright,” Steve says when everyone is gathered around a squad car at the crime scene again. “Let’s go back to HQ and try to find out more about our victim. HPD will stay here and ask around some more, but I doubt they’ll get anything. We can only hope that Tani is able to dig something up.”

Danny and Lou both agree, and while Lou walks over to his own car, Danny follows Steve to the parked Camaro. “We just wasted hours by knocking on every door of that building,” Danny says. The frustration is clear in his voice, and Steve can’t blame him. The case was only just dropped into their laps, and they’ve already hit a wall in the investigation. He was so sure that someone must have seen anything. And as if the frustration of not having gathered any useful information from the tenants isn’t bad enough, the piece of candy Steve has eaten is obviously not agreeing with him either.

“We need to find out more about April’s personal life. Friends, family, where she worked. I’m sure we’ll stumble upon something that points us in the right direction. Until then, we take a closer look at her boyfriend. Just because he’s not on the island, doesn’t mean he’s not involved,” Steve says as he steers the car toward headquarters.

“Yeah,” Danny agrees, sounding distracted. He’s facing the window now, and Steve decides to just let him think. While his partner seems to be lost in his own thoughts, Steve finds it increasingly difficult to ignore his gurgling stomach. He has no idea what the bonbon was made of, but it’s obviously upsetting his stomach big time. And when Danny turns back to face him, he’s not quick enough to cover up the wince on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Danny asks, and Steve can detect the frown on his face without having to look.

Steve shrugs as he switches lanes. “Nothing. Just an upset stomach.”

“Upset stomach?”

“The old lady I questioned about the murder offered me some homemade candy. It tasted disgusting, but what was I supposed to do? Spit it out?” Although, in hindsight, spitting it out would have probably been the better idea, Steve thinks.

Danny snorts, and a bit of the tension from before seeps out of his body. “Have your parents never told you not to accept candy from strangers? That’s one of the first things you teach your kid as a parent.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “I _know_ ,” he grumbles. “But I didn’t want to be rude.”

“Tell that your stomach,” Danny smirks. Steve refuses to respond, and they drive in silence.

About two miles later, Steve’s stomach lurches sharply and he feels bile rise in the back of his throat. _“Shit,”_ is the only thing running through his head as he pulls the car abruptly to the right, causing Danny to yelp in surprise. Before his boyfriend can start complaining about lack of driving skills, Steve flings the door open and vomits onto the gravel on the side of the road. There isn’t much to come up, but he heaves for what feels like hours.

When he’s done, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and pulls himself back into a sitting position. He lets his head drop against the headrest and takes a deep breath. A bottle of water is thrust into his hand and he accepts it gratefully.

“Feeling better now?” Danny asks, not sounding as smug as earlier. “Want me to drive?”

Steve swallows. “No, it’s fine. I’m good,” he answers, voice sounding hoarse. His stomach still feels off, but he’s sure now that the candy is out of his body, he’ll feel better in no time.

Danny reaches over and squeezes his shoulder. “Let’s go catch a murderer then. And don’t forget; No more candy from strangers!”


	2. Just a Case of Food Poisoning

The next couple of hours go by agonizingly slow. While Danny, Tani and Lou are busy looking through April’s bank records, social media profiles and background information, Steve has a hard time focusing on anything. Even though the bonbon that made him sick is out of his body, he still feels unwell. In addition to the unpleasant queasiness, a vicious ache has wrapped its claws around his stomach, and chills are wracking his body. Groaning when another wave of nausea washes over him, he gives up on trying to do research on his tablet and drops his head in his hands, attempting to breathe through the discomfort. In his desperate effort to keep from throwing up again, he doesn’t realize that someone is entering his office until the person speaks. “Babe?”

Lifting his head, Steve meets Danny’s gaze. He swallows and rasps a shaky, “Yeah?”

With a worried frown on his face, Danny walks around the large mahogany desk. “You look terrible,” he states the obvious, and Steve can’t help the amused little chuckle that escapes him.

“Thanks, detective. I knew there’s a reason I hired you,” he replies, but the smirk quickly drops from his lips when his stomach cramps up again. With a pained grunt, he presses his right hand to his middle. Nausea assaults him again and this time, he knows he won’t be able to keep it at bay. Stumbling to his feet, Steve brushes past Danny and hurries out of his office. He catches a glimpse of his other teammates’ questioning gazes, but he doesn’t have time to properly react to them.

In the end, he just barely makes it to the restrooms and into one of the tiny stalls. Dropping to his knees, he bends over the toilet bowl and start to heave. There’s really nothing to come up. He hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and the few sips of water he’s had barely make a dent. However, what does end up in the bowl is a purple, gooey soup, which is the same color as the candy. Just the sight of it makes Steve retch again.

A wet paper towel is pressed against the back of his neck and Steve closes his eyes. He relishes the circles Danny rubs on his back and tries to calm his rebelling stomach. “I’ll drive you home,” his boyfriend says suddenly, and Steve’s not really surprised by that decision.

“It’s just a little food poisoning,” Steve tries to argue, but he knows Danny won’t let this go.

And he’s right. “A _little_ food poisoning?” Danny snorts. “Babe, this isn’t just _a little food poisoning_. You look like a walking corpse.”

Too tired to argue, Steve simply drops his forehead onto his left forearm and closes his eyes. He’s suddenly extremely tired and his head is spinning wildly.

“Steve, hey, what are you doing?” There’s alarm in Danny’s voice as he shakes his shoulder. “Hey! No passing out!”

Passing out? No, he’s not passing out. He’s just resting his eyes and—

“Steve!”

His eyes snap back open, and he realizes that the only thing holding him up are Danny’s arms. Okay, maybe he _is_ passing out. “Sorry…” He mumbles.

“That’s it. Change of plans. I’m taking you to the hospital,” Danny decides, and his voice bares no room for an argument.

Nevertheless, Steve gives it a shot, “No, Danny,” he mutters. “I just need to sleep this off…”

“You will sleep this off, _after_ a doctor has made sure you’re not having an allergic reaction or been poisoned because of whatever you’ve eaten. C’mon, up you go.”

Getting to and remaining on his feet is harder than expected. The world around Steve dips and tilts, and his stomach is lurching and rolling. Swallowing back bile, he drops his head to his boyfriend’s shoulder, burying his nose in the crook of Danny’s neck. He can’t remember the last time he’s felt this miserable. Not even the radiation poisoning had been this bad – And that says something.

Slowly, Danny steers them out of the stall and toward the sink, where he makes Steve rinse out his mouth and wash his hands. The cold water on his face feels heavenly, and he gets some of his lost alertness back, but he still feels fuzzy and sick. “What about the case?” He mumbles when he suddenly remembers the bloody body of April Zhang.

“Tani and Lou are going to take care of it. And Jerry’s on his way as well,” Danny explains as he maneuvers them down the hallway to the elevators. Somewhere along the way, Lou appears and he and Danny have a short conversation. Steve doesn’t even attempt to pay attention to what’s being said. He trusts Danny to take care of whatever it may be.

 

 

Thankfully, Tripler isn’t very busy on a Saturday, and they are taken to an examination room rather quickly – No need for Danny to wave his badge around. But what reliefs Steve even more than that, is the fact that he isn’t feeling nearly as sick anymore as before. On the drive over, he sipped on a bottle of water Danny had handed him, and it had miraculously helped settle his upset stomach. There’s still some light queasiness and a bothersome stomachache, but the worst seems to have passed. Of course, Danny doesn’t want to hear anything about it, “A real doctor is going to take a look at you. End of story.”

That is why, when Doctor Frank Akuma enters the room, Steve is obediently sitting on a gurney. Steve quickly summarizes everything that’s happened for the man, before the doctor asks a ton of questions of his own. The 20 Questions game is never-ending and Steve is slowly running out of patience. Danny fixes him with hard stares whenever he so much as shifts.

In the end, because of Steve’s enormously extensive and complicated medical history, a bunch of tests are done. When the doctor mentions “liver rejection”, Danny pales. And, suddenly, Steve understands why his boyfriend insisted on this checkup. Because there’s just too much at risk to just ignore the symptoms he’s been experiencing.

While waiting for the results of the several tests to come in, Lou calls to inform them that they have found April’s murdered. The guy who killed her is none other than her ex-boyfriend’s older brother. He turned himself in and admitted to killing her, because he couldn’t take how heartbroken his brother was after the split. And just like that, the case is over. On one hand, there’s one less thing for them to worry about. But on the other, they have more time now to be concerned about what the tests might uncover…

Fortunately, the only thing the tests reveal is that everything is still working exactly like it’s supposed to. The liver is still doing its job, just as all the other organs, and there is no sign of cancer or any other radiation-related illness. So, two hours after arriving at the hospital, Steve is discharged again with a prescription for an antiemetic and the strict order to rest.

“See, I told you it’s just food poisoning,” Steve says as they head for the parked Camaro. Danny just rolls his eyes.

 

 

Because Steve is on forced sick leave for two days and there are no matters that demand Five-0’s immediate attention, Danny decides to take the rest of the day off as well. It’s Saturday, anyway, and Lou and Tani promised to take care of the paperwork. Steve doesn’t mind, because he loves having Danny around. They’ve been talking about moving in together for a while now, but haven’t quite figured it out yet. While Danny’s place offers more space and rooms, Steve is immensely attached to his family home. He just can’t imagine moving out of the house he’s grown up in. Danny understands, which makes Steve love him even more.

“Do you need anything? Tea? Something to eat?” Danny asks, as he steps into the living room of the McGarrett home.

“No, I’m good,” Steve replies while toeing off his shoes next to the door. He’s feeling almost back to normal again, and he sends a silent “Thank you” to whoever invented anti-nausea medication. They really do the trick.

Danny nods and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, how about a movie then? You up for that?”

“Sure,” Steve agrees, already heading for the couch. “You pick.”

They end up watching some sci-fi action movie Steve has never even heard off, but according to Danny, was a huge hit worldwide. Apparently, a second part is already in the making.

Steve doesn’t even make it through the first half of the movie before his eyelids start to droop. He might be feeling better, but the day has taken its toll on him and he’s tired. Somehow, without even realizing it, he ends up with his head in Danny’s lap. The noise of explosions and gunshots from the movie drifts to the background when Steve falls asleep.

 

 

Steve isn’t sure what woke him. Blinking against the bright light from the still running television, he tries to find his bearings. The realization that he must have nodded of while watching TV hits him one second before a nasty cramp does. With a groan, he curls into himself, face screwed into a pained grimace.

“Babe, hey, what’s wrong?” He hears Danny ask, and the warm weight of a hand settles on his shoulder. But he can’t respond. The deep ache in his stomach is too overwhelming for him to even say one single syllable. It’s agony. “Steve!” The hand on his arm moves to awkwardly roll him over until he sees his boyfriend’s worried eyes. “What’s wrong?” Danny tries again.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Steve forces himself to string two words together. “S-Stomach… hurts…” He forces out between clenched teeth, hands clutching his middle. The medication must have worn off.

“Breathe through it, babe. It’s okay,” Danny mutters. He runs the fingers of his left hand through Steve’s hair, and although it feels good, all Steve really wants is for the biting pain in his gut to abate again. He doesn’t know what if feels like to get stabbed from the inside, but he would guess that it would be pretty close to what he’s experiencing right now.

Another sharp wave of pain crashes over Steve, and he curls into himself even more. Sweat breaks out all over his body and renewed nausea sinks its nasty teeth into him. He’s had food poisoning before, but it’s never been this bad.

“It’s okay. Just breathe.” Danny’s voice somehow makes it through his pain filled mind, and he latches onto his boyfriend’s voice like a lifeline. Closing his eyes, he just listens. He inhales and exhales every few seconds, and focuses on the gentle strokes of Danny’s fingers on his scalp.

A few minutes later, the pain subsides. Blowing out a shaky breath, Steve sinks deeper into his partner’s embrace. “This sucks…” He mutters, wiping sweat off his forehead.

“I know,” Danny says. He leans down and presses a soft kiss to Steve’s temple. “Let’s go upstairs. I’m gonna make you a tea and a hot water bottle.”

Steve is beyond exhausted after his latest attack of cramps, so he just nods and struggles to his feet. This can’t be over fast enough…


	3. Gone

A couple of days go by, and Steve dutifully swallows the meds he was prescribed by Doctor Akuma and accepts every cup of tea, bowl of soup and over the counter pill Danny forces on him. He even manages to chug down the syrupy concoction Kamekona’s aunt brewed especially for him without bringing it right back up again. But, unfortunately, nothing seems to really improve his wellbeing. The nausea, albeit a bit less frequent now, is still plaguing him, making eating and drinking a bit of a challenge. In addition to that, his stomach still reacts extremely sensitive to all kind of things. The nagging pain in his belly has become a constant companion. But, due to his extensive training – in which pain management had been a thoroughly discussed topic amongst other things – he’s able to mostly shove the discomfort to the back of his mind. And as long as the cramps aren’t agonizingly bad, he’s able to do his job – At least according to himself. Danny, on the other hand, isn’t agreeing with him.

“You should stay home today,” is the first thing his partner says when Steve rolls over to get out of bed on Wednesday morning. Although Steve’s still tired and would actually enjoy laying back down, it’s not an option, because Five-0 picked up a case and they need all hands on deck.

“I’m fine,” Steve replies as he gets up to take a shower. His gut twinges when he moves, but he ignores it. He hasn’t had the best of nights, and he knows that _Danny_ knows, but he can’t stay home just because of an upset tummy. That’s just not how he operates.

Danny huffs out a breath. “Fine my ass. A stubborn pain-in-the-ass is what you are,” he mutters under his breath, as he throws the covers back. Steve can understand why Danny reacts the way he does, because while most people would interpret Danny’s behavior as irritated and annoyed, Steve knows that it’s essentially all worry. And he gets it. He really does.

Walking over to where Danny is pulling off his shirt, Steve wraps his arms around his boyfriend. Tilting his head, he bumps his nose against Danny’s temple. “Hey, look at me,” he says quietly, waiting until Danny’s crystal blue eyes meet his darker ones. “I feel okay today, really.” Okay is relative, of course, but compared to other days, he really is doing fairly well.

Danny exhales and drops his head against Steve’s chest. His arms sneak around Steve’s waist. “Alright.”

“Good.”

“Good,” Danny repeats, making Steve smile.

“Let’s go shower. My shower might not be as spacious as yours, but we’ll find a way to fit, I’m sure,” Steve hums with a mischievous grin.

Danny licks his lips. “Yeah?”

Nodding, Steve bends his head to slowly kiss Danny. “Yeah,” he mutters against his lips.

Somehow, they make it to the shower without tripping over their own feet. Their limbs are entangled in a mess of arms and legs, and they barely take enough time to breathe between passionate kisses.

In only a couple of short seconds, they’re both undressed and standing under the warm spray of water. Bodies pressed against each other, Steve has Danny backed up against the shower wall. He’s sucking the side of his boyfriend’s neck when Danny speaks, “We, uh, we…” He mutters, breath hitching in his chest and eyelids fluttering. “We need to… to get a move on, babe. Meeting with… with Governor Mahoe, remember?”

Steve didn’t forget, but Governor Mahoe’s face isn’t something he wants to think about while standing naked in the shower with his boyfriend. Choosing to pretend like he didn’t hear Danny’s words, he continues to kiss his way down his partner’s throat.

“Steve… Babe…” Danny tries again, sounding torn between his sense of duty and wanting to continue what they have going on. In the end, his sense of duty seems to win out. “We really need to hurry,” he says, as he brings his hands up to Steve’s abs and gently pushes him away.

Steve jerks back with a pained hiss when Danny’s hands press against his stomach. His back hits the opposite side of the shower, causing the faucet to dig into his spine. But the pain doesn’t even come close to the throbbing in his belly.

“Shit!” He hears Danny curse. “I’m sorry.” The aroused and lustful mood has literally gone down the drain in mere seconds. Before, he was breathless because his boyfriend had literally taken his breath away. Now, though, he’s breathless because of the pulsing pain in his gut.

While Danny’s hands are on his cheeks, softly stroking, Steve gingerly rubs his hands over his slightly distended abdomen. Because, not only is his stomach upset all the time, it’s also bloated. Another annoying thing to add to the laundry list of side effects from the food poisoning.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” Danny apologizes again.

Steve takes a shaky breath. “It’s okay,” he presses out. “I’m good.”

It’s apparently the wrong thing to say, because Danny glares at him. “Stop saying that! You’re obviously **not** good. And I should have known better than attempting to have sex with you in here.” He runs a hand through his dripping wet hair.

“I enjoyed it,” Steve replies with a breathless chuckle.

“Yeah, I can see it in the pained expression on your face.”

“I meant _before_ that,” Steve specifies. The throbbing in his gut is slowly fading again, and he even manages a smile. “You know how much I love making out with you in the shower.”

Danny sighs. “But we can’t do this while you’re not feeling well. And you haven’t been feeling well for almost a week now. I’m worried about you, Steve.”

Steve. Not babe.

“I know,” Steve says, cupping his boyfriend’s jaw. “It’ll pass.”

“You keep saying that. But I’m starting to honestly doubt it. I want to check out that bonbon lady again,” Danny decides.

Steve snorts. “Do you think she poisoned me or something?” He asks, laughing. But when Danny remains serious, he realizes his partner isn’t joking. The smile drops from his face. “Danny, you can’t honestly think that old lady put something into those candies?”

Danny throws up his arms, almost hitting Steve in the nose. “I don’t know, okay?! Fact is, you fell sick _right_ after eating those bonbons.”

Reaching out, Steve wraps his fingers around Danny’s upper arm and pulls him closer. “Okay, I understand. How about we finish showering, and then we’ll give Lou a call? He lives close to the building the woman lives in, and he can check her out again. Okay?”

Some of the accumulated tension seeps out of Danny’s body and he nods. “Yes, I would really appreciate that.”

 

 

They make it to the meeting with the governor in time, and Steve is feeling relatively okay for the majority of it. Governor Mahoe asks a ton of questions about their most recent case and demands Steve to answer all of them as detailed and precise as possible. Danny adds his own two cents every now and then and after forty minutes, they are allowed to leave.

When Steve pushes the chair back and stands up, the headache that’s been bothering him for the past fifteen minutes worsens instantly. He just barely manages not to stumble and shake the Governor’s hand. He forces a smile on his face and hopes it _looks_ more convincing than it _feels_. Governor Mahoe gives him an odd look, but doesn’t say anything.

When they leave the Governor’s mansion and steps into the sunshine, Steve shivers despite the warmth. The bright sun sends daggers of pain through his skull and it makes him feel nauseous. Blindly, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the Camaro’s keys with trembling fingers. He holds them out for Danny. “Can you drive?” He asks with a suddenly too dry mouth. He has no idea what happened, because less than half an hour ago, he was feeling fine.

The light of the sun is blinding, but Steve sees Danny’s worried expression as he takes the keys. “What’s wrong?”

Steve clears his throat. “Not feeling so great,” he admits.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go,” Danny says while taking Steve’s arm. He quickly leads him to the parked Camaro and opens the passenger door. “Here, get in.” Gracelessly, Steve drops onto the seat. Leaning his head back, he waits for everything to stop spinning. Danny hands him a bottle of water, and for the umpteenth time, Steve wonders where he always gets them from.

He manages half the bottle before the queasiness becomes too much. Closing his eyes, he tries to breathe through the wave of nausea.

A warm hand is on his forehead all of a sudden and he hears Danny’s sharp inhale. “Jesus Christ, you’re burning up!”

The loud ringing of Steve’s phone gets their attention. Steve clumsily tries to free the cell from his pocket, but his finger won’t cooperate. Danny gently pushes his numb fingers aside and grabs the phone himself. “It’s Lou,” he announces, before answering the call and putting it on speaker, saying, “This isn’t a good time.”

 _“This can’t wait,”_ Lou replies. _“I just went by that lady’s apartment. She’s gone.”_

Steve’s eyes snap open and he stares at the phone his partner is holding. “What do you mean, _gone_?” Danny asks, distressed.

_“Gone as in disappeared. All her things have vanished, and there’s no trace of her.”_

For the first time since all this started, a nagging feeling of doubt wraps around Steve’s heart. He starts to believe that, _maybe_ , there’s more to that woman than just a helpless, old lady.

He wants to say his suspicion out loud, but the feeling of something moving inside of his belly stops him. At first, he thinks it’s just another cramp, but he jackknives forward with a strangled gasp when he feels something _push_ against his stomach from inside. He clutches his middle, nails digging into skin. “D-Danny,” he chokes out, and somewhere over the roaring of blood in his ears he can hear his partner’s alarmed voice. “Danny. There’s… There’s something inside of me…”


	4. From Inside Out

Fine tremors are running through Steve’s body due to the bizarre experience he’s just had. He knows he didn’t just imagine things. He _knows_ the feeling of something shifting inside of his belly had been real. He can still feel it, and it makes him feel physically ill.

“Babe, take a breath. Everything’s okay,” Danny says, trying to sound calm and reassuring. But Steve knows his boyfriend, and under the calm Danny tries to hide his skepticism. Especially now that the lady who has given Steve the candy is in the winds. Nonetheless, Danny tries to remain calm. “Steve, you’re okay,” he repeats. “Your stomach’s been off this last couple of days. It was probably just gas.”

Steve, who’s broken out in a cold sweat due to stress, glares at his boyfriend. “I know what I felt,” he says, voice sounding gravelly. “It **wasn’t** gas.”

Danny seems to notice Steve’s rising level of distress and takes a mental step back. Reaching out, he puts his hand on the back of Steve’s sweaty neck. “Relax, okay? We’ll figure this out, alright? And we’re going to track down that old lady. She can’t have dropped off the face of the earth.”

Blowing out a shaky breath, Steve nods. His pounding heartbeat slows to a more regular beat and he manages to grasp clearer thoughts. “Yeah,” he says, and then clears his throat to repeat the word more strongly. “Yeah, you’re right.” He palms his churning stomach. Maybe Danny’s right. His belly _has_ been feeling weird for a couple of days now, and he _is_ bloated. It might have been just… gas. “Let’s go back to the office,” he decides.

Danny squeezes his neck to offer some much needed comfort. “You’re tired and you’re uncomfortable. What you need is rest,” he says and leans over to gently kiss Steve’s temple. “I’ll drive you home. Lou, Tani and Jerry can track the lady down. They’re good at their job.”

Steve’s automatic response would be to protest, but he’s too exhausted and weary to even consider an objection. “Let’s go home…” He agrees and tilts his head back.

 

 

An hour later, Steve is curled up on the mattress in his bedroom. As soon as he got home, he changed into something more comfortable, because the waistband of his pants was too tight around his sore abdomen. He’s taken something to help with the steadily worsening bloating but, so far, nothing has helped. It’s starting to become embarrassing, and he wonders what he’s done to deserve this – Whatever _this_ is. Heck, it could be a _tumor_ for all he knows.

Steve shakes off those dark thoughts when Danny enters the room, balancing a tray and carrying a hot water bottle under one arm. “I’ve got ginger tea, some crackers and apple sauce,” he announces as he sets the tray down. He almost drops the hot water bottle, but manages to catch it before it falls. “Oh, and I got this.” He bends down to gently place it against Steve’s stomach. “Does that make it better?”

Not really, Steve thinks. The additional pressure the weight of the hot water bottle causes against his stomach doesn’t feel good, but he’s not about to tell his boyfriend that. Danny’s worried enough as it is. “Thank you,” Steve says instead. He’s quick to steer the topic elsewhere. “Have you heard from Lou?”

Running a hand through his hair, Danny drops down next to Steve’s hip. “Yes. But they haven’t found out anything yet. We have her name; Rosa Malini, but that’s it. She didn’t leave a new address and the phone number the landlord provided is out of service. I know I said that she can’t have dropped off the face of the earth, but…” His voice trails off and he shakes his head.

Steve sees the mental anguish on his boyfriend’s face. “Danno,” he whispers and reaches out. He wraps his fingers around his partner’s wrist and pulls at it. A lot of mysterious things are still unclear, and it unsettles Steve as well as Danny. But, for now, Steve just wants to rest. And his partner could use a break as well.

Eventually, they are both lying on the bed, with Steve’s larger frame mostly draped over Danny’s smaller one. But neither of them seems to mind when they drift off to sleep.

 

 

The startling noise of a barking dog outside wakes Steve in the early hours of the morning. When he opens his eyes, he notices that he has his back to Danny and is facing the window now. Even though it’s dark outside, the moon is bright enough to lighten part of the bedroom. A soft breeze is ruffling the lightweight curtains.

The exhausting in his body is still bone deep, and Steve feels achy all over. He feels hot and sweaty, and his head is fuzzy. It’s like he’s having a bad case of the flu.

In an attempt to get more comfortable and lessen the muscle pains, he shifts. Instantly, a sharp pain shoots through his middle, and only then does he notice how tight and sore his stomach feels. With trembling fingers, he touches his belly, and almost cries out when even the lightest touch results in pure agony. Swallowing back nausea, he takes a shuddering breath. A strangled gasps escapes his lips when the sensation of something moving inside of him returns with vengeance. The thrusts are more severe this time, and he knows that this isn’t just gas. It’s something else…

The change in his breathing pattern must have woken Danny, because his boyfriend’s sleepy voice penetrates his racing mind. “Steve… You awake?”

The pain and movement increase and Steve can’t help the moan that tumbles from his lips. His head is pounding, his limbs shaking and his gut burning. He feels dizzy and sick and almost unable to grasp a proper thought.

“Babe, are you okay?” Danny asks again, and Steve has a hard time making out the words.

“M-My… My s-stomach…” He stammers.

Danny moves closer and Steve feels his boyfriend wrap his left arm around him. “Try to relax,” Danny mutters, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of the situation. Steve knows his partner is a deep sleeper, and it always takes him a while to fully wake. But, right now, they don’t have time. Because something is wrong, and Steve feels his body beginning to shut down.

“D-Danny…” He breathes and squeezes his eyes shut when his stomach cramps.

“Shhhh,” Danny says, already half asleep again. He’s rubbing his hand back and forth on Steve’s chest, before it slips lower. Steve sucks in a breath when his partner’s hand glides over his tender middle. His stomach lurches and something pushes against his abdominal wall again, bumping into Danny’s hand. “What the hell?!” Danny screams, sitting bolt upright in bed. “What the heck was that?”

All traces of sleep have disappeared now, and Steve reaches for his boyfriend’s hand, squeezing it. “S-Something’s wrong…” He manages to choke out before a brutal agony slices through his abdomen. Everything turns stark white and bright with pain, before he loses consciousness.

 

 

The sound of blaring sirens pulls Steve out of the depths of nothingness. He feels hands on him, prodding and poking. Someone is pressing against his belly, and he tries to shrink away from the painful touch with a grunt. He’s yet to open his eyes, but even behind closed eyelids he sees shadows and movement. He’s sick and hot and hurting everywhere. But the main source of the pain is his stomach.

“Stay still, sir. We’re almost at the hospital,” a deep voice says.

Opening his eyes, Steve blinks against the glaring light from above. Even though his brain feels fuzzy and his body is wracked with pain, he recognizes that he’s in an ambulance. Suddenly, an oxygen mask is placed over his nose and mouth. He panics and begins to struggle against the restrictive hands on his body. He’s almost hyperventilating when a familiar face appears in his blurry line of sight.

“Steve, calm down, please,” Danny says as he puts his hand on Steve’s hot cheek. “Everything is going to be okay.”

But it’s not, Steve thinks. He cries out when something shoves against his stomach from _inside_ and he struggles to lift his head off the gurney. He looks down at himself, blinking furiously to bring things into focus. When he does, his breath gets stuck in his lungs. The swelling has increased to the point where his now bared stomach doesn’t even look like part of his body anymore. “Danny,” he mutters in shock, voice muffled under the oxygen mask.

“Steve, listen to me. Everything is going to be alright,” Danny promises, and Steve whips his head around to stare into his partner’s face.

No sooner have the words left Danny’s mouth, does the ambulance come to a screeching stop. The doors are ripped open and the gurney is pulled out in one swift move. Overwhelmed by the speed in which things are happening, Steve cranes his neck when he loses sight of Danny. He tries to call out to him, but his voice is failing him. He struggles against the people that are trying to hold him down, but he doesn’t stand a chance. The overhead lights are making him extremely sick and dizzy.

Steve loses some time, but a sharp explosion of pain in his gut brings awareness back full force. He wants to curl into himself when the almost burning ache intensifies, but gloved hands are limiting his range of movement. He thinks someone tries to talk to him, but the sentences are drowned in a sea of pain.

 _“We gotta… ultrasound,”_ he hears the distorted voice of a person. Other words follow, but Steve can only make out every second or third. _“Internal injury… tumor… collapsed abdominal wall…?”_

Something cold is spread across his exposed belly, contradicting with the scorching heat he feels inside. The pressure against his middle increases once more and he cries out.

_“…fuck is that?”_

He screams when raw pain threatens to tear his belly apart.

_“…is moving… heartbeat!”_

The agony intensifies and he feels like he gets ripped open from the inside. Something is trying to claw its way out of his body.

_“…not human…!”_

Suddenly, he can’t breathe anymore and he loses his battle with consciousness once again.


	5. Nightmare on Piikoi Street

There’s a warm weight anchoring Steve’s right arm in place. The touch is familiar and grounding, and he clings to it like a lifeline when he resurfaces from the dark abyss of unconsciousness. The feeling that he’s floating slowly retreats, and he’s left with a body that is heavy and uncoordinated. He moans when various pains and aches awaken along with his awareness.

“Steve? Babe, are you awake?”

Steve rolls his head toward the source of the gentle voice and slowly opens his eyes. His vision is fuzzy, and for the first couple of moments all he can see is the blurry shape of a blond human right next to him. But he doesn’t need to see more than that to know _whose_ blurry shape he’s blinking at. “Danno…” He breathes out, and a small smile appears on his lips.

Danny leans closer and squeezes Steve’s forearm. “Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?”

How is he feeling? The words slowly trickle through the thick fog in Steve’s brain. He’s not sure how to answer that question, and he blinks silently up at his boyfriend. His vision is clearing up now, and he sees the worried expression on Danny’s face. What happened? Where is he?

Licking chapped lips, Steve averts his gaze from Danny and looks around. The light inside the room is dimmed, but there’s enough of it left for Steve to recognize his surroundings. Hospital.

The muffled sound of an approaching ambulance can be heard down the street and, suddenly, Steve’s mind flashes back to his own agonizing ride. His eyes widen in shock when he remembers the crippling pain in his stomach. Breath stuck in his throat, he jerks his arm out of his boyfriend’s grasp. With trembling fingers, he fights the blanket that’s covering him up to mid-chest and tears the blue hospital gown out of the way.

“Steve!” Danny hisses. “Stop it! What are you doing?”

Wide-eyed, Steve’s looking for the source of the abnormal ache he’s been suffering. He can’t feel anything squirm inside anymore, and the pain is gone. So _it_ must be gone. His vision blurs out again and he blinks furiously to bring everything back into focus. He feverishly claws at stomach, expecting to find a disfiguring scar across his middle.

“Steve! Enough!” Danny grabs his right wrist, halting his frantic movements. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

With his chest still heaving, Steve stills. His right hand is immobilized, but he lets the fingers of his left hand inch over his stomach. What he feels is… nothing. Nothing except smooth, taut skin. He doesn’t understand.

Danny slowly releases his wrist. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You hit your head pretty hard and you’re a little confused.”

Steve turns his head toward his boyfriend. “My… my _head_?” He mumbles, then shakes his head. “No… my stomach…”

Worry flashes in Danny’s blue eyes. “Your stomach? Does your stomach hurt? The doctor told us there aren’t any internal injuries. Let me call the nurse…”

Confusion is making Steve’s head spin, and he thinks he’s missing something. “No, wait,” he says and clumsily grabs his partner’s arm. Only then does he notice the sling, which is supporting Danny’s right arm. “What happened?”

Danny carefully sits down on the edge of the hospital bed. At this angle, Steve can also see a butterfly bandage on the right side of his boyfriend’s temple. He longs to reach out and touch the doubtlessly painful bruise. Danny clears his throat, and Steve’s attention snaps back to what he’s saying. “We were in a car accident. We got called to a case at Kamiloiki Community Park. After questioning the people that live nearby, we drove back to headquarters. We got hit by another car at an intersection. Do you remember any of this?”

Steve can just stare at his partner. Car accident? They got into a _car accident_?

“It’s okay if you don’t remember,” Danny says softly, while reaching out to tenderly run his fingers through Steve’s hair. “You have a pretty nasty concussion. But you’re going to be fine. You have some cracked ribs and your left shoulder and hip are bruised. But nothing’s broken. Not even your hard head.”

Only when he hears those words, does Steve notice the pounding headache inside his skull and the general dull throbbing on the left side of his body. He closes his eyes and relishes the way his boyfriend scratches his scalp. It feels heavenly. “I had the weirdest dream…” He mumbles.

“Oh, yeah? Wanna talk about it?”

Steve snorts. “Not really.” The quicker he can forget about the nightmare, the better. “It all started out with some candy one of the potential witnesses gave me. It made me throw up and things only got worse from there…”

“Uhm…”

Steve cracks one eye open and looks at his partner. “What?” Danny bits his lower lip, but Steve can see the grin that’s tugging at the corners of his mouth. “ _What?_ ”

“Well, _that_ wasn’t a dream,” Danny finally reveals. “You _did_ puke. All over the side of the road. But not because of candy. Remember how I told you the egg salad sandwich in your office fridge smelled weird? You should have listened to me.”

Steve blinks. _That_ he remembers. He remembers rolling his eyes at Danny when he pointed out that the sandwich’s been sitting in the refrigerator for too long now. And he _also_ remembers wolfing down said sandwich right before the meeting with Governor Mahoe. “Oh,” he says for lack of anything better to say. Because that explains a lot. Pair a concussion with food poisoning and you can be _sure_ to get some freaky dreams.

 

 

The next day, Steve is already feeling better. He still has the headache from hell and his body is one big bruise, but he feels more clearheaded and is finally able to fully comprehend that the nightmare he’s experienced was just that – A nightmare.

He’s also learned that April’s murderer has been caught. Based on a video Tani managed to pull from someone private security system, she and Lou were able to track down the man responsible. As it turns out, April was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had fallen into the deadly hands of a ruthless serial killer, which has already murdered three women in California and two in Nevada. He’s already on his way to the mainland now, to stand trial for everything he’s done.

Steve is dozing with Danny reading the newspaper next to him, when someone knocks on the door. Opening his eyes, Steve is happy to see the youngest member of their task force.

“Knock, knock,” Tani says with a big smile. “You guys up for some company?”

Pushing himself more upright in bed, Steve grins at her. “Of course, come on in.”

“Lou is still looking for a parking spot downstairs,” Tani says while carrying the large bouquet of colorful flowers over to the table next to Steve’s hospital bed. “These are from the governor, and these,” Tani shoves a Tupperware box in Steve’s face. “Were brought to our office by a very nice lady.”

Steve frowns and curiously lifts the lid off the container. As soon as he lays eyes on the content, he sucks in a surprised breath and pulls his hand back as if burned. His stomach gives an alarmed lurch.

Tani frowns. “What’s wrong?” She asks, while reaching into the container to grab a handful of bonbons herself. “They’re delicious,” she says, throwing the sweets into her mouth. Steve feels like he’s going to be sick.

“His stomach’s still a bit off from the concussion,” Danny comes to his aid. Steve has eventually told him all about his crazy dream, so his boyfriend knows why the candy is putting Steve on edge. “Maybe he’ll have some once he’s feeling better.”

“No chance in hell,” Steve mutters under his breath, and watches warily how Tani closes the container and sets it down on the bedside table, next to the flowers. He’s done with candy for the near future. Danny just gives him an amused grin.

 

 

Fortunately for Steve, he is released from the hospital the next day. Lou picks him and Danny up from the hospital and drives them to Danny’s house. Steve would have preferred to recuperate in his own home, but he has to admit that walking stairs is not the most comfortable thing to do with a bruised hipbone.

Danny, who was released the day of the accident, has already prepared his living room. Blankets, pillows, snacks and drinks are covering the couch table and Steve’s heart swells with love for his caring partner.

“Do you need anything?” Danny asks after Steve’s lowered himself carefully onto the couch. The ride from the hospital to the house wasn’t a walk in the park and Steve is more than happy to finally be on a motionless surface.

“No, I’m good,” he sighs, as he melts into the comfortable sofa.

“How’s the headache? Are you up for watching a movie?”

Steve shrugs with his good shoulder. “Is there anything good on at this time of the day?” It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and he’s not in the mood to watch Judge Judy.

Danny walks over to a box that sits next to the TV and rummages through it one-handedly. He returns to where Steve is sitting and dumps a bunch of DVDs in his lap. “Pick one. I’ll go change.” Before he leaves, he leans down to press a quick kiss to Steve’s lips. “Be right back.”

While his boyfriend is gone, Steve looks through the movie options he’s been given. He’s never even heard of half of them, but it doesn’t really matter anyway. Because he’s almost 100% sure that he’ll fall asleep two minutes into the movie anyway.

The last DVD he looks at is the one he’s most familiar with. It makes him snort as he turns it over in his hands, looking at the various pictures that are printed on the back. Something like to a chill goes up his spine when he sees a photo of the alien birth Danny loves so much. Steve shivers. “You’ll thank me one day, Danno…” He mutters as he slips the DVD into the narrow gap between the couch and the backrest. Pleased with himself, he picks some action movie and puts it out for Danny to put into the DVD player.

And if asked, Steve has _no idea_ where the Enemy Mine DVD is…


End file.
